When We Were Younger
by Tigerlily74
Summary: What if Spencer and Toby were friends when they were younger?
1. Wii Games and Truth or Dare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars**

"Spence, do you remember when we used to be obsessed with the Wii?" 27-year-old Toby said to his girlfriend, 26-year-old Spencer. She smiled at him and said she remembered.

" _Hey, is Spencer there?" 8-year-old Toby spoke into the phone._

" _Yes, let me go get her," replied Veronica Hastings, who had picked up the phone. She called her youngest daughter downstairs to answer the phone. She handed Spencer the phone and then went back upstairs; probably to do more work._

" _Hi Toby!" 7-year-old Spencer said, "Why are you calling,"_

" _I just wanted to say hi and see if you could come over to play Wii with me?" Toby replied, hopeful. It was a tradition of Spencer and Toby's, playing Wii whenever and wherever they could._

" _My mommy is really busy right now so I don't think she'll be able to drive me. And my dad is at work. So maybe can you come over to my house?" Spencer said_

" _Ok, Spence. I'll be there soon."_

" _Yay!" Spencer shouted into the phone, causing Toby to giggle._

… _.._

 _When Toby finally arrived on Spencer's porch, she greeted him with a tight embrace, causing him to jump a bit. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him into the Hastings's Living Room, only to find her mother sitting on the couch._

" _Oh, hi mommy," said Spencer. "Can me and Toby use the couch and TV to play the Wii?" Spencer asked, still holding Toby's hand_

" _Sorry sweetie. I'm using the living room right now," Veronica said, uninterested_

" _Please, mommy! We'll be really quiet, I promise!" Spencer begged_

" _I don't know if there's enough room on the couch for all three of us," Veronica said, fake-worried_

" _That's okay, I can sit on Toby's lap, right Toby?" she looked up at him and he nodded._

" _Okay," Veronica finally gave in._

 _Once Toby was properly situated on the couch, Spencer climbed onto his lap._

" _But now I can't see you," Spencer said disappointed, while still sitting on his lap. She turned herself around (while still sitting on his lap) so that she was facing him._

" _Now I can see you, but I can't see the tv." Spencer sighed. "Toby, let's go to my room. Then once my mom is finished with the living room, we can play wii, ok?" Toby nodded as Spencer took his hand and brought him up to her room._

" _So, what are we doing now," asked Toby_

" _We're going to play truth or dare," said Spencer. "Stacey told me about it. She said she played it with Simon and Mary-Anne and it was super fun."_

" _Ok," said Toby, reluctantly. He wasn't a huge fan of truth or dare but he knew he could never resist Spencer._

" _Ok, Toby. Truth or dare?" Spencer questioned_

" _Hmmm….. truth," Toby finally answered._

" _Am I your best friend?" Spencer asked with wide eyes._

" _Of course, Spence," he said, sweetly, taking her hand. "Your turn. Truth or dare?"_

 _Spencer, of course, chose dare._

" _Ok, I dare you to try to touch your tongue to your nose," he said, and began to laugh as he saw Spencer, trying and failing to touch her nose with her tongue._

" _Hey, it's not funny," Spencer said, punching him playfully, as he tickled her stomach._


	2. Goodnight, Moon

_After a long day of playing Wii, Truth or Dare, watching tons of Mickey Mouse, which was Toby's choice, and House of Cards, Spencer's choice, the two finally decided to go to bed._

" _Toby, I'm tired," Spencer yawned. Toby looked at her and then looked at the ground._

" _It's okay if I stay right?" Toby asked._

" _My mommy said you could. Come on, you can borrow my dad's sweatpants," Spencer giggled, taking his hand and bringing him into her parents' room. She rummaged around in her dad's drawer and pulled out a pair of gray sweat-shorts._

" _Here! You can wear this," she exclaimed, shoving the shorts at him and then leading him back to her bedroom._

" _I'll go change in the bathroom," Toby said, quietly._

" _Toby! No, stay here. I might need your help," Spencer looked at him with wide eyes. "Please Toby.." she begged him._

 _He looked up and sighed, "Ok, fine. But Spence, do you have a shirt I can borrow?"_

 _Spencer laughed at him, "Tobes, I don't think you want to wear any of MY shirts. And mommy says that boys can sleep without a shirt,"_

" _Ok," Toby nodded nervously, as he silently took off his graphic Snoopy t-shirt. Across the room, Spencer had taken off her Princess Peach t-shirt and was struggling with her jeans._

" _Toby," she called across the room. "Can you help me with my jeans?"_

 _Toby, who was always willing to help her, walked across the room to help her, but was shocked when he noticed that she wasn't wearing a shirt._

" _Spence, you should put a shirt on. Boys can sleep shirtless but not girls," he told her, looking away._

" _But why?" Spencer questioned._

" _I don't know. My dad told me that," he replied._

" _Ok," Spencer said, hurriedly putting on the top of her cupcake pajama set. "Now can you help me? I can't unbutton them," Spencer pointed at her jeans. Toby bent down so that he could see her waistband more easily, and tried to undo the button of her jeans. When he finally got it, he unzipped her jeans, and pulled them down her legs. She sat on her bed as he gently pulled them off of her feet._

" _Thanks, Tobes," She ran over to give him a hug, not wearing any pants. She suddenly looked up, "Oh no, Toby, I forgot to take a shower," she exclaimed._

" _It's okay Spencer. We can both shower tomorrow," Toby tried to calm her down._

" _But Toby, I can't go to bed dirty. My daddy always says that's bad," She says, her worried expression growing._

" _Ok, Spence, but it's late. And your parents are asleep, don't they have to watch you shower?" Toby asked, worried for her._

" _I'm a big girl Toby. Plus, you can watch me, right?" She asked, "Or maybe we can both shower at the same time. I think that's a better idea," she nodded at him._

" _Are you sure?" He asked her, nervous. She nodded, and brought him into the bathroom._

" _Now how do you turn on the water. My mommy always turns on the water before I get in, so it's nice and hot." She told him, while Toby struggled with the shower, finally adjusting it to the right temperature. They both undressed and stepped into the shower, completely oblivious to what they were doing._

 _Once in the shower, Spencer shyly asked him to wash her back, because she could never reach that area. They stayed in the shower for a couple more minutes, got out, dried off, and changed into their pajamas. Toby sat on the bed, and Spencer bounded over to him, jumping on top of him, and giggled._

" _Got you!" Spencer shouted, excited._

" _I thought you were tired," Toby teased her._

" _I was, but not anymore!" Spencer sat down on his lap so she was facing him, and started bouncing up and down. Toby glanced at the clock. It read 11:00._

" _Spence, we should go to sleep now, it's really late," He watched as she pouted at him._

" _Okaaaay, fine," She whined and slowly slid under the covers. She grabbed Toby's hand and pulled him under, so that her head was leaning on his chest. She looked up at him and said, "Toby, do you think I'm pretty?"_

" _Yes, I think you're beautiful, Spence. Why?" Toby kissed the top of her head._

" _My daddy calls me ugly whenever I do something wrong," She replied, sadly._

" _Then your daddy's wrong," Toby soothed, holding her small hand._

" _Goodnight, Toby," She whispered._

" _Goodnight, Spencer."_


	3. Toast in the Toaster

_At 6:30 AM the next morning, Spencer woke up next to Toby. His long arm was stretched across her torso protectively, and her head was buried in the crook of his shoulder. She didn't want to wake him, so she just lay there with him wrapped around her. That was, until she got bored, and decided to lie on top of him to wake him up. When he didn't wake up after a while, she grabbed the water that was sitting on her bedside table and splashed it over his face, startling him._

" _Spencer!" he yelled, playfully, as she erupted into a fit of giggles. He switched their position so that he was lying on top of her and started to tickle her stomach._

" _Toby, Toby, stop!" she laughed, as he tickled her mercilessly._

" _Hey, that's what you get for pouring water over my head!" he returned._

" _Well, at least you weren't wearing a shirt. Otherwise, my daddy would have been so mad at you for getting his shirt wet," she told him, stroking her hand down his bare stomach as he shivered._

" _Do you want to go get breakfast?" he asked her, hungry._

" _Ok, let's go downstairs!" said Spencer, grabbing his hand and skipping playfully down the stairs, still clutching his hand. When they arrived downstairs, Spencer popped two pieces of toast in the toasted and waited impatiently for them to cook. They had a contest to see who could correctly guess how long it took for the toast to cook. Spencer had guessed 30 seconds, while Toby had guessed 55._

" _28… 29…. 30…." Spencer counted down, hopefully. But once she reached 31 seconds she said, "I'm changing my mind, I guess 45 seconds!"_

" _Spence! You can't do that," Toby teased her._

" _Yes you can, Tobes. Melissa always used to do that when we played," Spencer smirked, as Toby playfully glared at her, and the toast finally popped out, at 46 seconds. "Victory!" Spencer screamed, loud enough for her father to come clomping down the stairs as Spencer and Toby giggled._

" _Spencer, be quiet," her father yelled at her. "Your yelling is disrupting my sleep," Spencer looked at her feet. "But, I see you've made some toast for me," her father seemed interested._

" _No daddy, tha-" Spencer started, but her father cut her off._

" _I'll just take that then," said Mr. Hastings, grabbing the toast out of the toaster, and walking back upstairs, with an evil smirk on his face._

 _Spencer looked up at Toby, and he could see dampness forming in her eyes._

" _Hey, don't cry," Toby comforted her softly. "We can make more toast," he said._

" _It's not that, Tobes," Spencer replied._

" _Then what is it? You know you can tell me anything, right Spence?" Spencer nodded._

" _I don't care about the toast, but, I just keep remembering what happened the other day," Toby looked at her curiously. "Well, it was late, like 11 o'clock and my daddy had just gotten home. He walked into the house and noticed I was up. He yelled at me to go back to sleep for a while, but I said I had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep. And then…." she trailed off._

" _What, Spence?" Toby asked._

" _He.. he.. hit me. Right here," Spencer pointed to a bruise on her knee, as tears started to pour out of her eyes. Toby hugged her tightly, wiping the tears out of her eyes and kissing the bruised spot on her knee._

 __" _Come on, do you want to go for a ride?" Toby asked, as Spencer nodded. He picked her up, and held her bridal style. He spun her around and carried her around the apartment, up the stairs, and laid her down on the bed._

" _That was fun," Spencer giggled, seeming to have forgotten about her bruised knee._

" _Yeah," Toby nodded. "But, Spence, we're going to have to tell your mommy about what your daddy did," he said, calmly._

" _No, Toby, please. I don't want him to hit me again," she whimpered._

" _Spencer, I promise. It will be all better once we tell your mom. And, don't worry about him hitting you again. I'll protect you," He gave her a small smile._

" _Ok, if you say so," she responded, still a bit worried. She hugged him tightly to her body and he wrapped his arms around her waist._

" _I love you, Toby," she said to him._

" _I love you too, Spence,"_


	4. I'm Sorry

**CHAPTER 4:**

 _After making more toast and playing games for roughly an hour, Toby finally convinced Spencer that she had to tell her mom about her father._

" _Please, Toby, I really don't want to tell her," Spencer whined, looking into his crystal blue eyes._

" _I know, Spence," he said, rubbing her back, "But you have to. I'll help you, I promise," he held his hand out, and silently told her to take it. Spencer scrunched her nose and shook her head._

" _Please, Spence," Toby gave Spencer his best puppy face, and she finally gave in, taking his hand. He pulled her into a hug and cradled her head into his shoulder. He lead her to her mom's office, and held her hand while they stepped inside the dimly-lit room._

" _Mommy," Spencer said, nervously, "Can I talk to you?"_

" _Not now, honey, I'm busy," Mrs. Hastings sighed._

" _Mrs. Hastings, it's really important," Toby stepped in, as Veronica sighed once more and nodded._

" _Um, so, the other day," Spencer looked at Toby, and he gave her an encouraging glance, telling her to go on. "The other day, when Daddy came home late, I was up. And… and… he hit me. Right here," As she pointed to the spot on her knee, Toby swore he saw Veronica's face turn white._

" _Oh my god. Spencer," Veronica sighed, pulling Spencer into her arms. "He promised me he would stop. I'm so sorry. I'll fix this, I promise, sweetie." Spencer nodded, as Veronica embraced her tightly. Veronica gave Toby a look that said, "Take care of Spencer while I go talk to her father,"_

" _Hey, Spence, come on. Last one to the playroom's a rotten egg!" And just like that, the two of them were off, sprinting to the Hastings's playroom. Spencer got there about a second before Toby, but he had let her win._

 _Spencer sat on the floor of her playroom, and buried her head in her hands. "Hey, Spence," Toby comforted her, stroking her hair, kissing the top of her head, and whispering, "it's going to be okay," into her ear. Toby could see that she was about to start crying, so he pulled her into a tight hug, and wiped the now flowing tears off of her face. Toby let her cry in his arms for a while, as she sat in his lap._

 _Then, Spencer sniffed, "Do you want to play chess? Melissa just taught me," she looked at him, her eyes still a bit watery. He nodded, and grabbed the chess box off of the shelf._

" _I'm so going to beat you at this!" she exclaimed, seeming to have regained her enthusiasm._

" _There's my girl," Toby smiled, ruffling her hair._

" _What, you don't believe I'm going to beat you?" Spencer challenged him._

" _Oh, no, I'm confident that you're going to beat me," Toby laughed as Spencer started to set up the chess board._

… _.._

" _See, I told you!" Toby looked at her, as she smiled triumphantly._

" _Toby!" Veronica called from downstairs, "Your mom is here to pick you up!"_

 _Toby looked at her sadly, and said, "I guess I have to go now," Toby stood up to leave, but Spencer tackled him, pulling him onto the floor, as they both giggled uncontrollably._

" _Come on, I'll walk you to the door," Spencer said, hugging him tightly. They shuffled, still hugging, to the door, where his beaming mother was standing._

" _Hey, Spencer," Marion greeted her, as Spencer broke from Toby's embrace._

" _Hi," she responded, shyly. "Bye, Toby! Bye Mrs. Cavanaugh!" She yelled out the door as they left. "I'm expecting to see you tomorrow!" She said, as all three laughed._

 _Once Toby had left, Spencer went back to her bedroom, where she overheard a conversation between her parents._

" _Peter!" Veronica exclaimed. "You promised that you would never drink like that again. And, now look what you've done, you hurt Spencer,"_

" _Veronica, I'm sorry, okay. I'm trying to get better. You know that,"_

" _What I know, is that you hit Spencer! And hard, I saw the mark,"_

" _You know what, Veronica, what do you want me to do? Ok, what do you want me to do?"_

" _I'm giving you two options. Either you go to rehab, or we're getting a divorce,"_

" _Veronica, you can't be serious. I can't do either one of those things,"_

" _Oh yeah, why not?!"_

" _Because, I can't have a rehab stint on my resume. And, I don't want to divorce you, I love you,"_

" _Ok, well, right now, what I need is some space,"_

" _Veronica, please,"_

" _No. Either go to rehab, or get out. The door's open!"_

" _Why did you have to make this such a big deal?! I only hit her once!"_

" _Yeah, you hit our seven year old daughter ONCE. It is a big deal, Peter!"_

" _Okay, you know what, I'll go to rehab. Okay, I'll go,"_

" _Good. Then we're done here. I'll book you a flight out for tomorrow evening," Veronica fired back, storming out of the room._

" _Veronica, wait," She turned around. "I'm sorry," He said, his voice sounding sincere._


	5. Birthday Baby

**CHAPTER 5:**

" _Happy Birthday dear Spencer, happy birthday to you!" Veronica, Melissa, Toby, and his parents were gathered around the Hastings's family table to watch Spencer blow out her eight birthday candles. Peter was in rehab at the time, per Veronica's request. As much as he didn't want to miss his daughter's birthday, Veronica didn't want him anywhere near Spencer._

" _Yay!" Toby exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her. She jumped up onto him, wrapping her tiny legs around his waist, and smiled. Somewhere in the background, Marion and Daniel took a picture of the two of them, happy as can be._

" _Ok, game time everyone!" Melissa told the group. That 13-year-old was quite the boss. Melissa had everyone sit in a circle to play Spencer's favorite game, Truth or Dare. "Ok, Spencer will go first since she's the birthday girl! Spencer, truth or dare?"_

 _After thinking for a moment, Spencer replied, "Dare,"_

" _Okaaayy, your dare is…" Spencer awaited her fate patiently, "Write the word 'funky monkey,' on your face with lipstick and keep it there until the game's over!" Spencer chuckled gleefully as Melissa handed her lipstick and a mirror. She tried her best to write funky monkey on her face, but it looked more like, 'tunky nonkel.' Toby giggled at her._

" _Toby, your turn!" Spencer gave him a mischievous glimpse, "Go outside and yell, 'I believe in fairies' three times!"_

… _._

 _After hours of playing truth or dare, the group had erupted into a fit of giggles. Spencer still had funky monkey, or tunky nonkel, written on her face. Marion had an avocado mask on. Toby, Daniel and Melissa all had silly hats on, and Veronica was wearing a pirate costume._

" _Okay, now let's arrange the bed situation!" exclaimed Melissa, seemingly too excited about a task as austere as arranging beds. "Spencer and Toby will of course sleep in Spencer's bed. Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh, you can take the guest room. And Mom and I can have our own rooms,"_

" _Bossy-pants," Toby whispered into Spencer's ear, causing her to giggle and collapse on top of him._

 _A/N: Review plz!_


	6. Mommy Dearest

**CHAPTER 6:**

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring. There went the Hastings's phone. Veronica had picked up, then handed the phone over to Spencer, realizing it was Toby._

" _Hey, Toby," she said into the phone._

" _Hey," He said, sadly._

 _She had picked up on the sad tone in his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"_

 _Suddenly, Toby burst into tears. "I-I-I think there's something wrong with my mommy. She's been acting really weird lately,"_

" _Oh. I'm so sorry, Tobes," I whispered into the phone. "Have you told your daddy yet?"_

" _My daddy is at work. And my mom is still sleeping. I'm afraid she might be dead, Spencer,"_

" _B-but it's 5 o'clock. How can your mommy still be sleeping?"_

" _I don't know, Spence. I'm just really worried," He sniffled._

" _Okay, Toby, go into her room and see if she has a pulse," Spencer said, ever the smart one._

 _Toby walked into his mom's room, and saw her peacefully resting on her bed. Her chest was heaving in and out ever so slightly. He reached over to touch her neck and found her pulse, sighing in relief when he realized she was just sleeping._

" _She's alive, Spence!" He practically cried into the phone._

" _Yay!" Spencer screamed in happiness._

" _But I still think there's something wrong with her," She could feel his face as it fell._

 _She sighed. "Call your daddy at work. And then call me back, okay?"_

" _Okay, talk to you soon," He replied._

" _Love you,"_

 _A shaky breath left his mouth, "Love you too,"_

 _Spencer silently awaited Toby's call, for one hour. Then two. Then three. Finally, she heard the living room phone ringing and she lept to answer it quicker than a fox._

" _Toby?" She said into the receiver._

" _Spence…"_

" _Toby! Did you talk to your dad?" She asked him._

" _Yeah. Um, I talked to him. And I told him about mom. And, um, and then we woke my mommy up. And we drove to some kind of facility. My daddy told me that mom would stay there for a while, until she gets better," He choked into the phone, holding back a sob. She hung up, racing out the door to get her mom. He slid down onto the floor, gasping, his body racked with sobs._

 _Soon after, the Cavanaugh's doorbell rang. Daniel, who's eyes were slightly puffy from seeing his son so upset, opened the door. Spencer immediately rushed through, not even bothering to greet Daniel, while her mother stayed behind to talk to him. She ran through their house, and into Toby's bedroom, where she found him weeping on his floor._

" _Toby," she whispered, hugging him hard. She sat down, placing his head on her lap, and stroked his hair._

" _I miss my mommy," Toby whimpered, as Spencer stroked his cheek gently._

" _Everything is going to be okay, Toby. I promise," She told him, kissing his forehead. He snuggled into her arms, feeling safer than before._

 **A/N: So, I don't know how old Toby was when his mom was admitted to Radley, because that's kinda a plot hole, so I decided to say that he was 9/10ish. Anyways, please review!**


	7. Way Better Than Teeth

**CHAPTER 7:**

 _ **A/N: We're flashing forward a few years - Toby is now 13 and Spencer 12, (7th and 8th grades) Other things to know: Marion is now in Radley (but hasn't died yet), Peter has come back from rehab and is all better, and Melissa is in college, so you won't see as much of her. Spencer and Toby are still BFFs, but are less touchy-feely (you can guess why, taking their ages into consideration) Now, let's start! Oh, and please review, as always.**_

" _Hey!" Toby was finally face-to-face with the coffee-eyed girl that he'd known practically all of his life. At least it felt that way. Spencer was running towards him, and boy, she had changed since he'd last saw her at the end of his 7th grade year. She had just finished 6th grade, and they'd parted ways for the summer, Toby and his father going to Cancun for the first two months, and the Hastings taking a lengthy trip to Korea for the final two months. She looked different; she was taller, her legs longer, her hips slightly wider. The two friends met in an embrace, Toby wrapped his long arms around Spencer's torso, and she looped her arms under his._

" _God, I missed you," She inhaled deeply, taking in her surroundings like she hadn't been in Rosewood for months, which was true of course._

 _He just stood there awkwardly, shifting his weight from his left foot, to his right foot, and back again. He looked her up and down and realized he was noticing things - small things - about her that he'd never noticed before. The way her brown eyes shimmered in the light, they way they sparkled whenever she was happy. The way she'd bite her lip when she was nervous, or how her forehead would crinkle when she was mad._

 _Little did he know, she was noticing the same things about him. How his swoonworthy sky-blue eyes would change colors based on his emotions, and how his left eye would always twitch whenever he was tired. She was also beginning to recognize some of the physical changes he had underwent over the summer. He had gotten taller, much taller, his shoulders broader and his voice deeper. At one point, he had stretched his arms above his head in a yawn, and she caught a sneak peek of what goodness was going on under that shirt of his. She found her eyes lingering on his muscled abdomen for a second too long, and scolded herself._

 _Thankfully, neither of their parents were present at the moment. Otherwise, they would have been caught in the midst of Spencer and Toby checking each other out. Talk about awkward._

" _Uhmm, how was your summer?" Toby sat down on a wooden park bench, his gaze never leaving Spencer's._

" _Good. Korea was so cool, really beautiful," As beautiful as you are, Toby found himself thinking. Snap out of it, Toby. She's your best friend, he admonished himself. He heard a slight murmur coming from his female friend's mouth, but couldn't quite catch what she said._

" _What?" He forced himself to snap out of his thoughts, and focus._

" _I asked you how Cancun was," Spencer replied evenly, playing with a lock of her chestnut hair nervously. Something had definitely changed between them over this summer. Their relationship just seemed - weird, different._

" _Oh, it was great. Beautiful, too, almost as beautiful as you," Toby, realizing what he'd just blurted out, looked to the ground as his coloring changed from ivory - to a cherry red. He looked over at Spencer to see her reaction, and her cheeks were tinted pink. She giggled, before becoming aware of the fact that she was acting like a hormonal teenage girl, not like herself at all._

" _You're sweet," She slapped his chest playfully, and he flushed an even deeper shade of red - if that was even possible. "Look, I've been meaning to tell you something," She bit her lip, and Toby knew that meant she was nervous. He gave her an encouraging nod as he raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "I know this is kind of a weird thing to tell you, considering - well - nevermind. Um, anyways, I just felt like I owed it to you to tell you, since you've always told me everything, so um-" She paused, looked down and bit her lip even harder so that it turned almost white._

 _Toby put his hand gently over Spencer's. "Hey, it's okay. Whatever it is, just know I won't judge you. You're my best friend, Spencer," That comment seemed to calm her down more, knowing that he would be there for her no matter what. That moment seemed more like their relationship before, rather than the messy awkwardness it had become._

" _Well, okay. I - umm -, oh god, I can't do this," Spencer exhaled shakily, and Toby could almost feel her heart pumping._

" _Whenever you're ready," His eyes changed from a sky-blue to more of an ocean hue, telling Spencer that he was almost dripping in sincerity._

" _God, okay, this is so awkward. I - umm - got my period over the summer," Spencer blushed, a light pink color dusting over her cheeks. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately._

 _Toby swallowed visibly, color rising to his cheeks. He and Spencer had never really talked about this - issue - he had assumed that she had gotten it already. "Oh," he gulped, "Well, um, I don't really know much about that stuff, but you should know, I'll be here for you - for whatever you need," Spencer smiled, a rosy pink color still resting on her cheeks. "I mean, gosh, that's gotta hurt," Spencer gave him a curious look, as if wondering how he knew exactly what went on in the female anatomy during that time. "Oh, we um, learned about that stuff last year. Science class," Spencer nodded, kind of weirded out by the fact that Toby probably knew more about the menstrual cycle than she did - and he was a guy._

" _Yeah, it hurts. Anyways, what's been going on with you, Cavanaugh?" She punched his shoulder playfully, trying to lighten the mood and steer clear of the subject they'd just been talking about. "Come on, I told you something embarrassing about me, now it's your turn. Got any crushes?"_

 _There I go again, Toby thought to himself as he flushed pink once again. "I do have a crush on this one girl,"_

" _Oh, tell me more," Spencer said, scooching closer to him on the park bench._

" _Well, I've known her for a while, and I really like her, but I don't know if she feels the same about me. I mean she's so pretty, and smart, and strong, and just amazing, but I don't want to ruin our friendship," He looked down at his khaki shorts, that reached just below his knee._

" _You know, that's funny," Spencer tilted her head to the right and looked into Toby's mesmerizing blue eyes. "I have had a huge crush on this guy since I first met him, and I've known him for - practically my whole life. Whenever I'm with him, he's so adorable and makes me feel so safe, you know, like I can tell him anything. He has these amazing eyes that I just feel like I could swim in… and quite a nice body, if I do say so myself," Spencer's cheeks flushed (again!) but she looked like she was glad she finally got that out of her system._

 _He was wondering who she could be talking about, when she reached up and tilted down his chin. "God, you're such a boy. It's you, idiot! You're my crush!" Toby's mouth gaped open and let out a squeak, realizing that this was actually real, the girl he had dreamed about for a long time shared his feelings. He leaned into her, and his eyelids shut instinctively. They were so close that they could feel each other breathing. Spencer leaned in a little farther, bringing her soft, pink lips to Toby's. He planted a soft, tender kiss on her lips, and then, feeling the heat between them, planted another, and another. Finally, the both of them broke away, panting, their foreheads leaning against each other. Spencer was stunned beyond speech - sure she had fantasized about kissing her blue-eyed best friend, but she had never actually thought it would come true. She let out a little squeak, hoping that Toby would get the message that he took her breath away. He chuckled softly, and silently pressed his pink lips against hers once more, craving the heat. Again, they broke away, insanely happy._

 _After gazing into the other's eyes for a while, Spencer finally let out a few words. "That was my first," She breathed._

" _Mine too," He giggled like a little boy who had lost his first tooth. Except this, Spencer, was way better than that._


	8. First Time For Everything

_**CHAPTER 8:**_

" _Toby Cavanaugh, are you asking me out?" Spencer folded her arms across her chest._

" _Maybe," Toby bit his lip and reached down to take her hand. Ever since they first kissed the other day, things had been great. Their relationship felt exactly like what it had been, except… more flirty._

 _She giggled and took his hand, "If you were, I'd say yes,"_

" _Okay. Spencer, would you like to go on a date with me?" Toby asked, a wide smile spreading across his face._

" _Hmmm… let me think about it…" Spencer teased, a glint in her eye. "Okaaaay, I guess so," She leaned in a kissed him hard on the lips. She could feel him smiling in her mouth, and she reached up a hand to cup his neck, while one of his hands flew up to caress her cheek._

 _They pulled away, leaning their foreheads against each other. "Wow, I'd almost forgotten how good you are at kissing," She bit her lip and he chuckled softly._

" _So, tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 8?" He looked into her brown eyes and felt something pulling him in._

" _Okay," She nodded, giving him one more peck on the lips before turning and walking back to her house. Toby stood there, watching her walk away, her brown hair waving ever so slightly in the breeze, and sighed._

 _The next day, promptly at 8, Toby arrived at the Hastings' front porch, a single rose in his hand. He knocked, and stepped back, waiting for someone to open the door._

 _When the door finally opened, it was Spencer. She was wearing a gray dress with a black belt and mesh at the top. Her hair was done in perfectly shaped curls that accented her pink lip gloss._

 _Toby's jaw practically fell to the floor. "You - you look - you," He couldn't find the words._

" _Speechless," A teasing glint formed in her coffee brown eyes. "Just what I was going for. And by the way, you don't look too bad yourself, Cavanaugh," She leaned in to peck him on the lips, but not before turning around to make sure her parents weren't watching. She hadn't told them about their relationship yet, and they certainly didn't know that tonight was their first date. Spencer had just told them that she and Toby were going to a party. As friends, of course._

" _Miss Hastings," Toby bowed down, offering his right hand and the rose he had brought to the girl in front of him. She gladly took it, stepping off of her front porch with her silver mini heels._

 _Once they were seated comfortably in the taxi Toby had ordered, Spencer asked "Will you tell me where we're going now?"_

" _You'll find out soon enough," He smirked at her before pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "I know how impatient you are sometimes, but I promise, you won't have to wait that long" Spencer giggled a little, suddenly realizing how well Toby knew her. They had known each other for so long, but you know what they say - time flies when you're having fun. And indeed she was. She was going on her first date with her best friend in the whole world, and the best part was that they didn't have to awkwardly make small talk while munching on food. They already knew each other so well that they could laugh and joke and cuddle as they pleased._

 _When they were about five minutes away from their destination, Toby shielded her eyes with a blindfold. As they stepped out of the car, he held her body close to his, her hand encircled in his, making sure not to let her fall. He could never let her fall._

 _After what seemed like forever to someone like Spencer, Toby finally tore the blindfold off her eyes. She gasped, looking around at what surrounded her. It was Greatest Park, a small amusement park just outside of Rosewood. When they were really little, Veronica and Marion used to take them to this amusement park and they have a picnic lunch in the park nearby._

" _Toby, I don't even know what to say. You know me too well," She wrapped her arms around his torso, and he instinctively pulled her closer._

" _So. Which ride should we hit first?" He asked her, even though he already knew what she was thinking. "Wait, let me guess. Piranha Coaster?"_

" _Heck yes!" Her face lit up as she pumped one first into the air. Piranha Coaster was her all time favorite ride, and they hadn't been in - oh - 3 years. "Oh my god Toby thank you so much!" She hugged him again._

" _It's my pleasure, honeybunch," He winked one eye as she giggled and took his hand._

" _C'mon, sweetiepie. We have to get there before the line gets long!" And she dashed off, dragging Toby behind her. He let Spencer pull him to the ride, admiring her natural competitiveness._

 _After a long night of riding the Piranha Coaster_ _ **seven times**_ _, and then settling down for a delicious picnic, they were both exhausted. Well, mostly Toby. Spencer just really wanted to ride the Piranha Coaster one more time. But alas, she finally agreed to go back home, it was getting late. He dropped her off at her front porch, giving her a quick goodbye kiss. He stood outside of her door for a while, wondering how he could have gotten so lucky. He had been in love with Spencer for a while, practically since he met her. And now, getting to kiss her and take her out on dates just seemed unreal to him. He just couldn't believe that he, Toby Cavanaugh, the silly dork who loved cuddling and video games, had someone as amazing and beautiful as Spencer to call his almost-girlfriend._

 _Little did he know, Spencer was leaning on the other side of the door, the exact same subject on her mind. Sure, she had dreamt of kissing her best friend for a long time. She had long since fantasized about cuddling with him, pressing kiss after kiss to his lips. But never, in her whole existence, would she have thought this dream would come true. But now it has, she reminded herself, and she swore she could not have been happier._


	9. You're All I Have

**CHAPTER 9:**

 _Knock-knock. 13-year-old Spencer Hastings was patiently waiting in front of her new boyfriend and longtime best friend Toby's door, a bouquet of roses in hand. Toby had called her on the phone earlier, sounding upset. He had told her that he had something important to tell her, and that she needed to come to his apartment right away. Whatever Toby had to tell her, it was urgent. It couldn't wait. It was so big, that she had to miss debate club for it. Spencer could only hope that it was something good, positive, and that he wasn't breaking up with her._

 _A teary-eyed, red-faced Toby answered the door. "Spence," he squeaked. Without even asking what was going on, Spencer dropped the roses to the ground and gave him a hug, their stomachs pressing firmly against each other. As they broke apart, she leaned her forehead against his and cupped his cheeks in her fingers._

" _Whatever it is, Tobes, it'll be okay. I'm here for you," Spencer took him by the hand and dragged him to his bedroom. He sat down gingerly on the bed and gestured for her to sit next to him._

" _Spencer, um, I don't know how to say it so I'll just -" his voice broke and his body shook with oncoming tears. Spencer grabbed his hand and grasped it in hers. She softly pressed her lips to his forehead and stroked his hair. "My-my mom -" he took a deep breath, "She died. She committed suicide and didn't-didn't even say goodbye," he took off wailing again._

 _Spencer held his shaking body in her arms and whispered softly in his ears, "Shhh baby it's okay," while rocking him back and forth. "Toby, your mom loved you. And nothing and nobody will ever change that. I saw the way she looked at you. It was like-like you were her whole word. She loved you so much, Toby, and I'm sure she's in heaven watching over you," Spencer began to feel tears pooling in her own coffee-brown eyes. She had known Marion for a very long time, and she knew how good of a mother she was to Toby. She had fallen off the wagon a few years ago and Toby's father had sent her to Radley in the hopes that she'd get better, but it looked like she'd only gotten worse. Poor Toby. She felt so bad for him. All she wanted to do was to get his mom back, there by his side. But she knew that was impossible._

 _She almost swore she could hear Marion's voice ringing in her ears, "Take care of my baby, Spencer. I know you'll keep him safe," and Spencer felt the moistness in her eyes begin to grow. She let one silent tear roll down her cheek, before briskly wiping it away with her finger. I will Marion, I'll take care of him._

" _Toby," she whispered. "Do you want me to sleep over?" He nodded. "Okay. It's late, we should get going to sleep now," She helped Toby take off his t-shirt and khakis, she figured he could sleep in his boxers. She herself removed her top and cropped jeans, leaving her in her bra and panties. With any other guy, or really, with any other person, she wouldn't be comfortable stripping down to her underwear but with Toby she felt safe. She'd known him for almost her whole life, and she knew that he'd never do anything to hurt her. Intentionally, at least._

 _Toby sat down on his bed, wearing only his underwear. He glanced at Spencer who was also in her bra and panties, eyes still puffy from crying and said "you're beautiful." She felt herself blushing. "Spencer, now that my mom's gone, I only have you. My-my dad, he's a mess. He's been a mess ever since mommy got admitted to Radley." He looked down._

" _And you'll always have me. Always, I promise Toby. No matter if we're dating or just best friends I will always be by your side. I love you so much Toby. You're all I have too. My parents are all focused on Melissa and Melissa is, well, a jerk. But I have you. And you're all I need." Spencer felt another hot tear riding down her pale skin._

" _I love you too Spence," She silently tucked him into bed, crawling under the covers next to him. "I miss my mommy," he wailed. "I just can't get it out of my head that I'm never going to see her ever again, I'll never be able to touch her, or hug her or-or hear her voice. I miss her so much, Spence. It's like this aching pain that I don't think will ever go away," He sobbed into her shoulder._

" _Shhhhhh," She kissed his cheek and rubbed his back. "You need to drink something, you haven't eaten or drank since I came over."_

" _No, Spence, I don't need to drink I need my mom, and that's the one thing in this whole damn world that I can't have," Toby hissed, before melting down._

" _Okay, baby. Okay. You're going to be okay." She cradled his head in his arms, and stayed awake till he fell asleep. When he finally drifted off, she put her arm around him, his body instinctively curling into hers. She kissed the back of his head before falling asleep next to the love of her life._


End file.
